After nearly a year of heartbreak, frustration, and red tape, Hilltown institution Luigi’s Pizzeria is finally reopening its doors today.
Locals, who have been deprived of their beloved pizza since a devastating fire last May, are expected to flood back in droves this weekend to get their much-missed fix after hundreds expressed their congratulations over the news on social media.
Red tape prevented reopening
The journey to reopening has been anything but smooth for the Luigi’s team. What initially seemed like a temporary closure turned into a lengthy battle with planning permission, leaving their future hanging in the balance.
And pizza fans perplexed.
Last July, the team behind Luigi’s, which is located just after the Hilltown Clock on Strathmartine Road, took to Facebook to express their despair. Their heartfelt post read:
“We have put off sharing some grim news with you in the hope that our luck would change. It didn’t. Sadly we do not know when we will reopen our doors.
A state of limbo
“We are currently in a state of limbo as we wait on planning permission from the council to move forward with work on our premises after the fire.
“We miss you. We miss pizza. We miss our team. We miss Luigi’s Life. We are dreaming of feeding you all again when the time comes…Whenever that may be.”
The post sparked an outpouring of support from devoted customers who were devastated by the prolonged closure.
But as months dragged on with no progress, hope started to wane for the family-run pizzeria which has served Dundee for at least 100 years.
Local support
Then, in November, Luigi’s offered a glimmer of optimism. Another update surfaced, explaining the latest hurdle: Dundee City Council had not yet approved a new extraction system, citing noise concerns.
According to Luigi’s, the issue was that their ventilation fan was deemed 12 decibels too loud – equivalent to the sound of normal human breathing.
The November post read: “12 decibels is the sound of normal human breathing and 5 months is the length of time we haven’t been trading. It’s a funny world we live in.”
Rumours they had left the city
Rumours swirled that the owners had given up and moved to Italy, but Luigi’s quickly shut down such speculation. “We will reopen as soon as we can – once planning permission is granted & the work is finished… & gladly feed you all. We miss you all.”
And now, after months of uncertainty and determination, the wait is over. The pizzeria announced in understated fashion that their pre-order app is now live.
Hundreds of pizza fans reacted to their social media announcement on Wednesday evening with comments ranging from “When can we order?” to “Hallelujah!”, “OH DEAR LORD YES” and so many messages of congratulations.
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